Sentencing Commission Improvements Act

The U.S. Sentencing Commission sets the guidelines that federal judges use when deciding prison sentences. Currently, it has one nonvoting ex officio member — the Attorney General's designee. This bill would add a second nonvoting member: a federal public defender or community defender, chosen by the Defender Services Office. The idea is to make sure the perspective of defense attorneys — who represent the people most directly affected by sentencing guidelines — has a seat at the table when those guidelines are written.